


Torchwood: The College Years

by PrettyKitty93



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, F/M, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 20:52:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14860094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyKitty93/pseuds/PrettyKitty93
Summary: For Ianto Jones, everyday is the same as the one before. He wakes up and has to get on a bus full of his peers who taunt and torment him just for fun.But then again college isn't exactly a safe haven for him either. Whenever he tells the teachers what is happening, they just smile sadly and say “sticks and stones, Ianto. Remember that.”





	Torchwood: The College Years

**Author's Note:**

> {Rewrite Of Torchwood The Early Years}  
> So a few years ago around 2009/2010 time I wrote Torchwood The Early Years (which I have posted on here since) as a teen/high school AU. At the time I loved it, but looking back on it since my writing has improved (I hope), I decided that it could do with a rewrite.  
> So here it is. Change of timeline, change of tense, change of age rating and reformatted to make it better.  
> I'll leave the original on here but this is essentially the same story just better.

**Ianto Jones**

__**No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in  
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him  
Cause you want to belong, do you go along?  
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong  
It's not like you hate him or want him to die  
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide  
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side  
And any kindness from you might have saved his life  
Heroes are made when you make a choice **

For Ianto Jones, everyday is the same as the one before. He wakes up and has to get on a bus full of his peers who taunt and torment him just for fun.

But then again college isn't exactly a safe haven for him either. Whenever he tells the teachers what is happening, they just smile sadly and say “sticks and stones, Ianto. Remember that.”

The eighteen year old just rolls his eyes and sighs, quickly realising that the teachers won't really do anything to stop the bullying.

What is worse is the fact that he doesn't seem like the type to get bullied; handsome, sweet, witty and clever. Although Ianto knows, just like the students of the school, even the teachers think he is weird too.

Ianto doesn't exactly dress like every other teenage boy in his college, or even his classes for that matter. His go-to outfit is his favourite purple converse boots, black skinny jeans, black t-shirt and a white shirt, topped off with his signature black eyeliner and black hoodie wrapped around his waist.

"Hey everyone, Goth-Freak Jones is getting on!" A girl shouts as Ianto steps onto the bus.

"You all right, Ianto?" Tony the bus driver asks kindly.

"Yeah right, before I get on the bus in the morning." Ianto mutters.

"Just ignore them, kid." Tony smiles reassuringly.

"Sure." Ianto mumbles, rolling his eyes.

Ianto keeps his head down as he walks past his peers shouting their usual insults and jibes.

"Hey, Jones. So what goth shit you been doing this weekend?" Jamie Aughton asks, laughing along with his mates.

Jamie is nineteen and the _popular_ kid at college. Ianto had always thought that kind of thing only happened in crappy American films but Jamie is definitely the exception. A Class A twat you don't want to mess with.

"Shut it, Aughton." Ianto mutters as he walks down the bus, wishing Aughton will finally get hit by this exact bus one day.

"Temper, temper, Jones." Jamie calls after him.

Ianto ignores him and finally gets to his usual spot at the the back of the school bus, only to stop dead in his tracks as he sees it's already occupied. Another boy; possibly around nineteen, with what Ianto assumes is his younger brother are sat talking absent-mindedly.

"You're in my seat." Ianto murmurs, not meeting the older teen's eyes.

 _Fuck, he's gorgeous._ Ianto thinks, trying desperately not to say it out loud.

"Sorry?" The teenager asks carefully, looking up at Ianto.

"You're in my seat." Ianto repeats a little louder, actually looking up at the boy.

"Sorry, we didn't know, we're new in town. I'm Jack and this is my younger brother, Gray." Jack smiles warmly, holding out a hand for Ianto to shake.

Ianto ignores the offered hand and carefully moves past the two boys.

"If I was you I wouldn't talk to me." He warns, throwing his bag into the corner and sitting down.

"Excuse me?" Jack asks, slightly confused.

"Hey, newbies, I wouldn't sit with him if I were you. He might convert you." Aughton suddenly shouts to the back of the bus, smirking.

"So it's Jones, yeah?"

"Yeah, to everyone at college, but I believe my mum christened me Ianto." Ianto replies, leaning back against the window and putting his feet up on the chair.

"Ianto, what does he mean, you might 'convert' us?" Jack asks pointing in Aughton's direction.

"He means that everyone sees me as a freak and believe me, you don't wanna be labelled with that." Ianto doesn't even look at Jack, until he feels Jack's gaze burning him, that is. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Jack asks with a smirk, looking Ianto up and down.

Ianto ignores his eye wandering and tries to keep his cool, even as Jack shifts closer to him; apparently undeterred by Ianto.

"Staring at me. It's not right, you'll get people suspecting things and trust me, being a bully victim is not exactly fun." He hisses in a quiet tone.

"Are you trying to protect me, love?" Jack whispers, winking at Ianto.

"Love, really? Don't. And no, honestly I don't give a crap about you. I just have experience with the students of St Matthew's Academy."

"You sure that's all it is?" Jack replies, clearly still suggesting something.

"Pretty sure, yeah. And believe me when I say trying to make friends with a freak like me isn't something you wanna do."

Jack slides the last distance between them and whispers in Ianto's ear, "What if I wanna be friends with a freak like you?"

Ianto involuntarily shudders at the contact and tone, trying to will himself not to be drawn in.

"You don't, trust me." He snaps back, but it doesn't have as much bite as Ianto wanted it to have.

"Right, you lot, this is your stop." Tony shouts, before Jack can reply.

Ianto gets up before Jack and his brother, while Jack absent-mindedly watches the other teenager walk up the bus. He'll have to avoid doing that; Ianto is right, people will figure him out. Ianto is gorgeous though.

x..x

"Morning class." The young female teacher says cheerfully.

"Morning, Melanie." The class responds in unison.

Melanie smiles at her class, pulling out her class notes and worksheets for the class; arranging them neatly on her desk.

"Did everyone have a good weekend?"

"Yeah, it was awesome!" A girl exclaims excitedly, a big grin on her face.

"It was alright." A boy replies, shrugging his shoulders.

"No more crap than usual." Ianto mutters, fiddling with his pen.

"Ianto, you know I hate that language in my class. How many times have I told you?" Melanie replies carefully, but her voice lacks any bite.

"Sorry, Melanie."

"Yeah. Be a good boy, Jones." Aughton teases.

"Shut it, Aughton."

"Careful." Aughton warns darkly.

"I said shut it."

"You've got a terrible temper, Jones."

Ianto doesn't reply to Aughton, instead deciding to focus on his English key skills lesson. Unfortunately, the older teen doesn't take the hint and kicks the younger teen's chair; hard. Aughton continues to shove Ianto's chair until the other teen hits his ribs on the desk.

"Ow."

"Did that hurt, Jones?" Aughton asks with a smirk.

"Did it?" Aughton's friend; David Price asks, high-fiving his friend.

"Stop it." Ianto mutters, shuffling his chair closer to his desk and away from Aughton.

The move clearly annoys Aughton as he decides to lean forward and poke his fingers into Ianto's spine repeatedly before the younger teen breaks.

"Sod off!" Ianto exclaims, standing up and glaring at Aughton and Price.

"Ianto Jones!" Melanie yells, turning round to look at the teenager. “I suggest you take a walk.”

"I'm going. Anything to get away from these arseholes." Ianto replies, heading for the door.

Melanie is about to make a comment when the classroom door slams behind the younger teen as he leaves.

Jack; having seen everything that has happened so far, suddenly jumps up and punches Aughton straight in the nose.

"Jack Harkness! Physical violence will not be tolerated in this building."

"Oh, come on, Melanie. You know what they're doing to Ianto. He clearly deserved it.” Jack protests, not backing down from the teacher.

"Jack." Melanie warns carefully, turning back to the board.

"Be a good little boy now, Jack." David Price warns dangerously, his fist clenching.

Jack is ready to take a swing at the other teen when David jumps up out of his seat, knocking it over and alerting Melanie.

"Jack Harkness, I warned you, take a walk. Now!" Melanie shouts, throwing a glare at Aughton and Price.

"Don't worry, I'm going." Jack snaps, grabbing his bag and storming across to the door.

The older teen walks down the corridor searching for Ianto. He's only known him five minutes but he knows it's wrong what is happening to him.

"Ianto." Jack says when he spots the other teenager.

"What do you want?"

"Got sent out of class so I thought, why not keep myself busy." Jack replies, grinning mischievously.

Ianto rolls his eyes but smirks at the older teen.

"Melanie doesn't tend to send anyone out of class, especially new kids. She's too nice and, new kids tend to be in college a week before getting into trouble."

"Yeah well, there was this kid I met and I didn't like the way people were treating him but it seems like no one ever says anything to stop the bullying so I thought what the hell." Jack replies, smiling softly at the younger teen.

Ianto starts walking again, knowing Jack will probably follow him and realising he can't stop him anyway. As predicted, Jack follows after Ianto until the pair are walking side by side.

"You're gonna get your ass kicked, you know." Ianto calls back to him, distracting himself from the butterflies he's feeling.

"You're worth it." Jack replies with a smile.

"What?" Ianto asks, stopping walking suddenly.

"You heard me." Jack replies, softly touching Ianto's hand with his own.

Ianto looks down at his hand as Jack takes hold of it; linking their fingers together and the younger teen can't help the spark in feels in that simple action.

Feeling bold by the fact Ianto hasn't pulled his hand away, Jack steps closer to the younger teen and kisses his cheek. Ianto sighs softly and grips Jack's hand a little tighter.

The older teen pulls away, noticing the storage cupboard behind Ianto and gently directing Ianto towards it.

Ianto follows willingly and turns back to face Jack, just as the older teen pushes him up against the wall and kisses him. Instantly, Ianto relaxes into Jack's touch and kisses back; still holding Jack's hand.

Both teens moan into the kiss and Jack lets go of Ianto's hand to cup the back of his head, deepening the kiss.

Ianto pulls Jack closer in response, running his hand down the older teen's back and stopping just shy of his arse.

“You don't have to stop there, love. Carry on if you want.” Jack murmurs into Ianto's lips, smirking as he pulls away.

“Easy tiger. We're still in college, remember.” Ianto replies, winking at the older teen.

“Keep being your sexy self and it won't matter _where_ we are.” Jack warns, grinding his erection into the younger teen.

Ianto's head falls back and he bites his lip to suppress a moan before replying, “Well I'm fucked now.”

“Not yet. But maybe if you're good you will be.” Jack whispers in Ianto's ear, dropping his head to gently nibble his neck.

“ _Jack_.” Ianto moans, gripping the older teen tighter.

“It's alright, baby. We'll finish what we started later. If that's what you want.” The older teen says softly, pulling away from Ianto slightly.

Ianto nods his head in response, pulling Jack in for another gentle kiss full of promises.

Jack sighs as he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against Ianto's and trying to calm himself.

“That was … um. Really amazing.” Ianto sighs softly, running his fingers in gentle circles on Jack's back.

Jack chuckles before responding, “And that's just a kiss.”

“Yeah. I know. I've never even kissed a guy before.” Ianto laughs giddily.

“Well, you sure know how to do it right, love.” Jack smiles reassuringly, kissing Ianto's head.

The pair reluctantly pull away as they hear footsteps walking past the door, signalling the end of class.

“We'll continue this later, love.” Jack smiles, sneaking out the cupboard door and disappearing from sight.

Ianto smiles to himself and waits a few more minutes until the hallway clears before leaving the cupboard.

 

__**You could be a hero - heroes do what's right  
you could be a hero - you might save a life  
you could be a hero - you could join the fight  
for what's right, for what's right, for what's right**

 

 


End file.
